Casey, Are You Doing Okay?
by ilovemuffincakes
Summary: Casey Hart has always been invisible. But when Mr. Schuester invites her to join Glee club, all that changes. Warning: Femslash! Child abuse! Swearing! Rape! It's rated M for a reason, people! Quinn/OC relationship, established Brittana.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** In this story, Kurt won't be going to Dalton Academy, but he still gets to have Blaine because I love Blaine bunches and bunches. Also, Sam and Quinn never dated because Sam is an _openly_ raging homosexual. This story started as a dream I had but I will be extending it past the end of the dream. Casey is me, so for a visual imagine a 5'10" white girl with Pink's haircut in dirty blonde, eyes the same color as Dianna Agron's (YAY ME! :D) and freckles everywhere.

**A/N #2:** Hope you guys like my rewrite better. I know I do. I want to thank my anonymous reviewer again for pointing out my mistake, and the rest of you guys too. Thanks for reading and being patient with me.

And I, of course, don't own Glee or any of its characters. If I did, Faberry and Brittana would've happened already instead of everyone just dancing around it. It's infuriating, man!

* * *

Casey Hart didn't expect much out of her junior year at William McKinley High School. She knew she would most likely be invisible and lonely, just as she had been her entire life. She'd never had a friend or girlfriend or _anyone_, really. This year would be just like every other one, and she was none too happy about it.

She kept her head down and wormed her way through the student body in the crowded hallways, making her way into her homeroom class with Mrs. Fitch. She remembers kids last year, thinking they were clever, calling her 'Fitch the Bitch' and for a good reason, too. Most of the students knew of her, and they all said they'd prefer Ms. Sylvester over her. _Ms. Sylvester_!

"Just my luck," she groaned as she pushed the door open.

Mrs. Fitch greeted her by screeching "Find your seat in the next 10 seconds or you'll have detention for a month!" There was a seating chart, and she quickly found her seat between a rather airheaded Cheerio and Kurt Hummel, whom she had seen roaming the halls frequently. She only knew his name because he was the only openly gay kid in the school and she admired him for being proud of who he was and for standing up for himself and his beliefs on all occasions, even if he was standing alone.

Mrs. Fitch had already taken attendance by the time the bell rang, and then spent the rest of the period explaining the rules of her classroom.

Needless to say, Casey was out of there like a bat out of hell as soon as the release bell rang.

* * *

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly, and she finally found herself at her last period class. Her previous classes were all easy and the teachers seemed nice, so she hoped that, academically, this year would be painless. Her last class was Spanish 3, and she already somewhat knew and liked Mr. Schuester. As she sat in the back of the classroom, like she did in every class without a seating chart, she pulled out her notebook and a pencil. Music was her passion, second only to photography, and she was currently working on writing a song.

Casey was so engrossed in the notes and words on the pages that she didn't notice the bell ring or hear Mr. Schue speaking until he was next to her, tapping her shoulder lightly. She slammed her notebook shut and jumped about a foot in the air, which caused him to flinch.

"Jesus, you scared me!" she said quietly, seeing everyone else working on some worksheet she hadn't seen. Glancing up at the clock she saw that there was only about 5 minutes left in class and she flushed.

"Sorry. I was just making sure you were alright. You seemed pretty focused on that journal all class." Casey looked up at him and smiled apologetically. His face morphed into a concerned frown as he rested a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Have-have you been crying, Casey?"

Casey panicked when she reached a hand up to her face and found the sticky traces of tears on her face. The song _had_ been emotional, there was no doubt about that, but she hadn't been aware that she was crying at all. "Uh, yeah, I-I guess I was." Then the bell rang and saved her from further explanation.

"Casey! Wait, I want to talk to you for a minute."

…Or not.

Casey stopped and slowly turned on her heel, apprehension evident on her face as she made her way back to him. "Y-yes, Mr. Schue?"

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I just happened to notice that you were writing what looked like a song in your journal and I was wondering if…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck and looking away.

"If…?" Casey pushes, her head tilting to the side in question.

Mr. Schue looks back up at her and says, "If you'd like to join Glee club."

Casey's eyes widened in surprise. "Mr. Schue I-"

He held his hands out as if to tell her to stop and she flinched. "Before you say no, just hear me out. We need one more member because Lauren quit and you wouldn't even have to do much, I swear. Maybe dance around a little at the most. It'll be fun and you could make some friends too!"

She sighed and scuffed her shoes on the linoleum. "Look, Mr. Schue. I would love to join your club, I really would, but I just…I don't know if I can. Between work and school I'm always busy and I don't know if I can fit Glee into my schedule. I'm sorry."

He sighed, took a step closer to her, and rested a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off and took a step back. Will frowned, but began to plead with the girl anyway. "How about this then: if you join Glee club, I'll have you switched into my homeroom and you can do your assignments for my class in there. And you're also welcome to come into my office during study hall and work on your other homework so you'll have nothing to do at home." He smiled encouragingly at her before pleading, "We need you, Casey. You obviously have some sort of musical talent and we need someone like that. I know you've had a hard time making friends these past few years, so this will be a great opportunity for you. Being invisible may seem easier than talking to people, especially here in Ignoranceville, USA, but being alone isn't all it's cracked up to be either."

Feeling tears well up in her eyes, she swallowed thickly and sighed. "When does Glee meet?"

Mr. Schuester allowed a beaming smile to overtake his face. "So does this mean you're joining?" he asked excitedly.

"It…It depends on when w-we meet. I'm b-busy, like I t-told you."

"Well, we meet Monday mornings, Wednesday afternoons, and Friday mornings. Mornings were Rachel's idea, of course." He rolled his eyes. "If you can't make it all the time that's fine. As long as you're there at least once a week, you're in."

Casey mentally ran through her schedule. The morning meetings she could do; her father was never awake before noon and wouldn't notice she was gone. The afternoon one she might have to miss though. She had to work all the time. Her shifts were always directly after school, so unless she had a day off, it wouldn't happen.

"O-okay. I can make the m-morning meetings, b-but not the Wednesday one. U-unless I'm off work that d-day."

Will's smile grew impossibly wider. "Great! We'll see you Friday then, okay?" She nodded in response, still staring intently at the floor. He was curious as to why she had yet to make eye contact with him, but said nothing. "Oh, and if you want to perform something to introduce yourself, you can. Brad, our piano guy, will be happy to play for you. And we have the Jazz band too." He realized that she might not be comfortable with that, so he added "You don't have to sing though. It's just an option."

Casey nodded again. She was pretty sure that she wouldn't be singing for them, but she didn't say that. She didn't want to let Mr. Schue down; he was a good guy and seemed to genuinely care about her. She'd never had that.

Besides, a lot can change in 4 days.

"Alright, you're free to go now. Take care of yourself, kiddo." Mr. Schue toned his smile down enough to where it didn't look like his face would split in half and waved her out. "And I expect that worksheet to be done by next class!"

* * *

Casey left McKinley and walked to work, wiping her face on her ratty jacket sleeve. The owner of the coffee shop she worked at was the sweetest older lady the teen had ever known; not that she knew very many sweet old ladies. Or sweet _anybodies_, really. Her boss paid her well over what she paid her other two employees because about a year ago Casey, in a panic, had let it slip that she was paying all the bills at her house and that minimum wage wasn't cutting it. Penelope was the closest thing to a mother and friend the girl had ever had.

Arriving at Coffman's Coffee, Casey quickly went into the back and got her work clothes out of her locker and headed into the bathroom to change. The fresh clothes were soft on her battered body and smelled like lavender. She thanked whatever higher power gave her Penelope and tied her apron around her neck and waist before hurrying out to help Penelope and her relatively new co-worker, Ashlynn, at the counter.

"Sorry I'm late; I had to talk to my Spanish teacher." Casey explained, hoping she wouldn't be in trouble. Penelope had never once gotten angry with her, but that didn't mean she never would.

Luckily, her boss waved her off. "Nonsense. It's quite alright, I assure you. Ashlynn and I have held down the fort fairly well, haven't we?" She then smiled at the short, pretty raven-haired girl standing next to her, who returned it.

"Yeah, we did pretty well. But," she said, taking her apron off, "My shift is officially over now that you're here and I have a hot date tonight that I need to get ready for."

Casey rolled her eyes playfully at the older girl, a smile playing on her lips. Ashlynn pointed a finger at her and she cringed inwardly.

"Hey, don't roll your eyes at me! I'll kick you're a-" the blue-eyed girl before her glanced cautiously at Penelope before correcting herself, "_butt_. I'll kick your _bu__tt_."

Again, Casey rolled her eyes. She then warily watched Ashlynn laugh and toss a "whatever" over her shoulder as she went into the back to put her apron in her locker. When she emerged from the room, she smiled at the two women behind the counter and waved as she walked out the front door.

The tall girl couldn't help but feel relieved as her co-worker left and she began to talk with Penelope about her first day of school. She'd been entirely sure that Ashlynn had the full intent of carrying out her threat, even if it was in jest. After all, she had no reason to believe otherwise.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Chapter 2, here we go! And I'm happy that I decided to include more of Casey's life outside of school, are you? It kind of gives her more…Depth. I think that's the word I'm looking for. But yeah. Knowing more about her life is nice. Anyway, read on loyal readers! :D

* * *

At around 9 o'clock Casey and Penelope finally began to close up the shop. Casey changed back into her regular clothes after everything was done and put her work clothes back in her locker. Penelope didn't approve of her wardrobe but it was all she had and even though the older woman had offered to take her shopping on more than one occasion, the risk of the woman seeing the dark blotches and scars that covered nearly every inch of her pale skin was too great, and she turned down the offer every time. Plus she knew her father would be angry at her if anyone found out or if she came home with bags of anything that wasn't food or booze.

He'd think she was spending her hard-earned money on _herself_, and that simply wasn't allowed.

As she walked her boss out to her car and declined a ride home yet again, she wished for the thousandth time that day that she didn't have to go home. She'd honestly rather be homeless than live with her abusive wreck of a father. She wanted someone, _anyone_, to see what she was going through. She _needed_ someone to see it. Because maybe if someone saw what he'd done to her, they'd help her.

They'd save her.

She knew that she shouldn't get her hopes up, though. After all, not once in her entire life has anyone offered her any kind of help. Not once has a teacher seen the bruises marring her skin and said, _'what happened there?_' No one cared about her, just like he'd told her time and time again. She was alone.

Walking home was an automatic motion; she didn't even realize she was opening the front door until the click of the lock broke her from her trance. As she walked in and returned her key to her pocket, she noticed _him_ sitting in his chair and watching TV, beer in hand. She absently wondered how many he'd had as she tried and failed to sneak into her bedroom before he noticed her.

"Where the _fuck_ do you think you're goin' little lady? Daddy needs some love!" he slurred, grinning wildly.

She dropped her head down and said quietly, "Sorry d-daddy." He liked it when she called him that. She hoped that it would help her get out of her…_duties_…tonight. "I'm j-just a little t-tired from work, that's all."

He laughed maniacally and she knew she'd lost. "Well then let me help you," he wobbled closer to her and she winced, "_relax_." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and she visibly cringed. He just laughed again. "You know you like it, baby girl. Now come on. You know the rules. Help me to my bed, I can't walk very good."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaned most of his weight on her, causing her to nearly collapse. Casey's father was not a small man. But she managed to half drag him all the way to his room and drop him on his bed, praying that he would hit his head on something on the way and pass out so she wouldn't have to do this again. She almost cried when it didn't happen.

"Alright, work your magic, little slut."

And with that, Casey set about pleasing her pig of a father.

* * *

The next morning she all but ran to school. While her father usually only left bruises in places she could cover up (_"No one wants to see your ugly body anyway, whore"), _last night he had left a dark purple mark on her cheek and she'd had to scramble to find something to cover it up. She'd finally found some cover-up in a box of her mother's stuff that she'd left when she ran out on them, but she'd spent too long finding and applying it and was now late to school.

When she finally shoved the doors to McKinley High open and rushed to her homeroom with the devil, she was a good 20 minutes late. She mumbled an apology to her teacher and started moving toward her seat when she heard said teacher tell her in the bitchiest tone she could _possibly_ muster that she wasn't in this homeroom anymore, that she'd been switched out.

Casey then remembered that Mr. Schue had told her he was switching her into his homeroom. She nodded at Mrs. Fitch, who snarled and told her she was stupid, and left the room. Mr. Schuester's classroom was only two doors down from Mrs. Fitch's so she arrived fairly quickly. He motioned for her to follow him into his office. She gulped almost audibly and obliged, preparing for the worst.

Will closed the door behind the girl and asked her why she was so late.

"I-I woke up late." She stuttered.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, but accepted the response. "Okay, just try not to let it happen again. I didn't mark you absent, and I never will unless you don't show up, but if you start coming in late every day I will have to start. I like you, and I trust you not to take advantage of that. Are we clear?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Y-yes, Mr. Schue. A-absolutely. Th-thank you."

He smiled at her. "You're welcome, Casey. Now go have a seat. I still expect you to be working while you're in here."

Casey nodded and gave him a half-smile before quickly making her way to her seat and pulling out her Spanish assignment. She _really_ liked Mr. Schue, she decided.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly, and she found herself at home before she knew it. Walking in, she was greeted with a familiar sight and the same disgusting proposition which she'd never refuse out of fear, and she did as she was told before going to bed, too sore to shower or do anything else.

Lying on her not-so-comfortable mattress on the floor, the full intensity of the pain in every muscle hit her and hit her hard. She cried for hours on end, unable to move or stop the tears from flowing. When she finally fell asleep at around 3 AM, she was numb to everything.

The next day she made sure to get up early so she could take a long, hot shower and hope that the aches in her muscles would go away. Last night had been particularly rough, so she guessed her father had been angry about something. She could only hope it had nothing to do with her, because if it did she'd be beaten even more after work.

* * *

Will watched as his favorite student walked in a good five minutes early and he smiled at her. She gave him a small smile in return and he noticed her wincing as she sat down. Although he was a bit (or a lot) curious, he let it slide. He knew she would most likely make something up anyway.

He'd always had his suspicions about Casey Hart. When she first walked in to his 3rd period Spanish 1 class her freshman year, he'd known something was off. He didn't want to approach her though because he was sure she wouldn't tell him anything. He'd heard about kids like her in the teaching seminars he'd been to. Kids that are withdrawn, afraid of people, and flinch when they're yelled at or touched. Kids that "fall down the stairs" often. Kids that have straight A's and sit in the back of the classroom, doodling in a notebook for an entire class period. Kids that write songs about killing themselves and wishing they were never born.

Kids who are being abused.

He just knew that she was one of those kids. Believe it or not, he was actually a very observant guy. But he didn't want her to be afraid of him or think he was a bad guy, so he simply tried to make her school life easier. That was why he'd asked her to join Glee.

It was her junior year and she didn't have any friends. Not one. She was an outcast, not only in the school, but in the town, the state, the country, the _world_. No one cared about her. No one but him. So he was hoping that, by introducing her to the kids in Glee, she would make some new friends. Have someone to talk to and hang out with. Sure, he didn't expect them _all_ to want to be friends with her; there were people like Quinn, Santana, and Finn (it pained him to admit this) who only cared about their reputations. But he figured people like Rachel, Kurt, and Mercedes would take her in. They knew what it was like to be ostracized from your fellow schoolmates. And with that in mind, he started making lesson plans for his classes that day.

* * *

At Glee that afternoon, he silenced all the kids when he walked in the room. They all looked slightly concerned at the solemn look on his face, so he smiled briefly at them to ease their nerves. It didn't work like he'd hoped.

"Mr. Schue, what's wrong? Is this about Regionals last year? Because if it is then I _assure_ you we'll do way better, and we'll kick Vocal Adrenaline's-"

Mr. Schue shook his head and interrupted her. "No, Rachel; this isn't about Regionals last year. This is about our new member." Collective gasps echoed throughout the room.

"We have a new member? Who is it?" Finn asked, face scrunched up in confusion.

Will looked over all of his students, seeing the curiosity in their faces, before answering him. "Her name is Casey. Casey Hart. She's a junior here, and she's in my Spanish 3 class." They all looked at each other in confusion. As he'd expected, none of them knew who she was. "I know you don't know who she is but she's going to be here on the Monday and Friday morning meetings each week, so you guys will get to meet her in a few days." The Glee kids then began whispering to each other frantically, wondering who this new girl was and what she was going to be like. Mr. Schue tried to regain their attention. "Guys." No response. "Guys!" he said, a little louder. They glanced at him, but continued to talk amongst themselves. He grew angry. "HEY!" he shouted, banging his hand on the piano. All of them jumped and snapped their attention to him quickly, wondering what had gotten into him. Silence filled the room. He wiped his hand that had hit the piano over his face and sighed. "Listen to me. I know how you guys are. I know you all go around talking about each other behind their backs, or even to their faces. And while I don't like it, there's not really anything I can do to stop it. You guys ultimately do whatever you want. But," his tone changed and lowered; it sounded almost dangerous, and the kids leaned forward, trying to hear him, "If any of you _ever_ mess with Casey, you will be out of here so fast you won't know what happened. Do I make myself clear?" he threatened. When he got no reply, he raised his voice. "I said, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Puck responded, actually looking afraid.

He felt bad momentarily for scaring them, but decided that that was the only thing that worked for them. "Good. Now let's get on with rehearsals, shall we?"

The gleeks simply nodded, too stunned to speak.


	3. Chapter 3

Thursday was an interesting day for the gleeks. The day before they had, after Mr. Schuester left the room, devised a plan to stalk their teacher in order to find this girl who was _so_ important to him that he felt the need to _threaten_ them into kindness. Normally, they weren't this united over anything (with the exception of competitions, of course), but this was necessary. Their teacher had never threatened to kick them out of Glee before, not for anything. He'd occasionally get irritated with them, but he wanted Glee to succeed so badly that he overlooked virtually anything they did. They knew, then, that this was serious. And they were beyond curious as to why.

Meeting at a table in the lunchroom, they discussed what they'd found (or didn't find). Sadly, the only person who'd seen anything was Santana.

She leans into the table slightly, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "I saw him talking to a girl in homeroom this morning." The group gave her a look that said '_so what?_' and she rolls her eyes in frustration at their slowness. "They were in his office the entire period. He kept looking at her like she was his kid or something. It was fuckin' weird."

Everyone stares at her, contemplating what she said. Then Rachel asks, "Do you remember what she looked like?"

Santana rolled her eyes and said, "Duh, RuPaul. It wasn't _that_ long ago."

The shorter brunette brushes off her comment and asks, "Do you see her in here anywhere?" Santana looks around the room but doesn't see the girl she'd seen this morning. She shakes her head in the negative. "Where do you think she is?"

"I don't know, Berry. I'm not her fucking mommy." She snaps.

Rachel huffs. "I never said you were, Santana. I was simply asking if you had an idea where she could be. There was no need to snap at me."

Everyone rolls their eyes at the diva. Brittany suggests that she, Quinn, and Santana search the school since it wouldn't be weird if they were seen together and Santana knows what the girl looks like. They all gawk at her.

"What?" the blue-eyed blonde asks, confusion lacing her words.

Santana shakes her head. "Nothing, B. That's a great idea. Let's go, Q." and with that, the three cheerleaders stand and leave the table to search the school.

* * *

They decide to start with the bathrooms and go from there, so they explore each bathroom. When they come up with nothing, they look in the choir room, auditorium, and gym, but don't find anything. They look outside and find nothing as well. Exasperated, they begin to search classrooms. When Santana finally sees the girl in Mr. Schue's classroom, she wants to facepalm. That should've been the first place she looked, she realized. The three girls smile to triumphantly at each other when Santana points at the girl through the small window on the door and, after checking to make sure their teacher was nowhere in sight, quietly enter the room. The girl is sitting at a desk scribbling furiously in a notebook, so she doesn't notice the three Cheerios come in until she hears someone clear their throat. She jumps and stares at the three girls before her, too terrified to say anything. After all, the three most popular girls in school don't just corner you in an abandoned classroom for _no reason_.

"Hey." Brittany says with a small wave and a thousand-watt smile. Casey attempts to smile back at her, but it looks more like a grimace and the blonde girl's face morphs into a frown. "What's the matter? Did I scare you? Sometimes I like to scare people. It's fun. But I don't think I like scaring you. Are you scared? I'm sorry." She rants.

Casey is bewildered by the girl's babbling and stays silent. The other two girls look at her oddly.

"So I hear you're gonna join glee with us." Santana asks, trying her best to sound kind with her inquiry. She wasn't about to test Mr. Schue's threat. Glee _was_ the best part of her day, after all.

The sandy-haired girl nodded dumbly, eyes wide.

"That's cool. Care to tell us a little about yourself? The other gleeks are dying to know more about you."

Finally, Casey shakes herself from her stupor and manages a response. "Uh…Y-yeah, s-sure. I, uh…I like to s-sing. I wr-write songs. I d-dance pretty good t-too. Well, at least I…I think I d-do."

Quinn smiled reassuringly at the girl. It was obvious that she was nervous, so she was trying to calm the girl down. "Awesome. Are you gonna sing for us tomorrow morning?"

"N-no, I don't think s-so."

The head cheerleader tried not to look so disappointed, but she couldn't hide it. Neither could her best friends. "Why not?"

The freckle-faced teen sighed. "I-I just…I'm n-not comfortable with that. I-I mean, I've never s-sang for anyone before. Well…Except my b-brother." She explained, sadness settling on her facial features. Quinn, Brittany, and Santana exchanged somewhat concerned looks.

"What if someone sang with you? Would you do it then?" Brittany asked. She had a hopeful gleam in her eye and Casey couldn't resist it. Saying no to this girl would be like kicking a puppy. You just didn't do it. Now she realized why Santana did all the things she did for her blonde counterpart.

"I-I don't know. Maybe. B-but no one will w-want to sing with m-me. They d-don't even know m-me." she dropped her head and stared at the cover of her closed notebook.

The three cheerleaders looked between each other and Quinn nodded. "I'll sing with you."

Casey's head shot up in surprise. "You-you will?" The blonde nodded. "B-but…Why?"

Quinn smiled. "Because I like you and I want to hear you sing."

The taller girl stared at her strangely for a moment. "O-oh. Okay then. D-do you want to p-pick a song then?"

The cheerleader shook her head. "No, you pick one. It's your first time, after all."

Casey looked at her sheepishly. "Uh…Okay. D-do you know C-Concrete Angel by Martina Mc-McBride?" Quinn nodded with a small, rueful smile on her face. That song described her childhood to a T. Brittany and Santana both gave her questioning glances and she looked back at them, assuring them that she was fine.

"Sounds good. We can meet before glee tomorrow morning and talk about who sings what parts, okay?" Casey nodded her assent. The three Cheerios then said their goodbyes and Brittany waved and smiled at her as they left.

Casey just stared after them, wondering what the hell just happened and what she had agreed to.

* * *

Will was making his way back to his classroom when he saw his cheerleaders leaving it with satisfied smiles on their faces. He was instantly worried for Casey and rushed past the girls into the room. He found his student staring at the door, a look of astonishment on her face.

"Casey, are you okay? What did Quinn, Brittany and Santana want?" he questioned frantically.

Casey blinked a few times before seeming to realize that he was standing there and had asked her a question. "Oh, y-yeah. I'm fine. They were just t-talking to me. I-it was so weird, Mr. Schue. I've never seen them b-be that n-nice to anyone before. Quinn's gonna sing with m-me tomorrow. Isn't t-that cool?" she couldn't help but feel excited. The head cheerleader, the most popular girl in the school, was going to sing with her tomorrow morning. This was the best day of her life.

Meanwhile, Will breathed a sigh of relief. He had to admit that, when he'd seen the three girls exit his classroom, he'd assumed the worst. In his defense, though, Quinn and Santana were notorious for being (and he hated to say this about his students) bitchy toward their fellow schoolmates. But now that he knew his threat had been taken seriously, he smiled. He was happy that the three least accepting girls in the glee club had taken a liking to this girl he was so sure they would hate.

"Quinn's singing with you? Really? What song are you guys gonna do?" he asked, intrigued.

Casey grinned at him and his heart swelled at the sight. She'd never smiled, genuinely smiled, at him before, and he was sure that it was probably a rare occurrence for her. "S-sorry Mr. Schue, but it's a s-secret."

He laughed. "That's okay, kiddo. I can wait. Maybe."

Will was immensely proud of Quinn, Santana, and Brittany for taking the initiative, and he planned on telling them so the next time he saw them. He hoped that they were being genuine – one could never be sure with them – and he prayed that the three Cheerios' actions would start a chain reaction of kindness and acceptance among his clubbers. God knows Casey needed it.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N (skip if you want, this is me whining about my life):** I'm sorry this is just now going up. My week has been shitty and I'm so, so very lost right now. I went to a funeral Saturday for someone I've know my entire life and then Sunday there was a shooting at the Wal-Mart in my dinky little town that resulted in two dead and two injured. It's scary and hard to deal with, so I've been kind of…Out of my head lately. It definitely doesn't help that my wisdom teeth have been causing me all sorts of problems and I've been on some _serious_ pain meds for the past two weeks. I get surgery next Friday though, so that will be done soon.

**Anyway, hope this is up to your standards. And I would appreciate reviews from you, my lovely readers. :] **

* * *

Casey practically skipped to work that afternoon. She was more than happy that Quinn was singing with her tomorrow. She was fucking _ecstatic_.

Penelope eyed her warily as she walked through the front door whistling, but didn't comment. She was just glad that the girl seemed happy; lord knows she needed some happiness in her life. Casey had never told her boss/mentor about her home life, but she had her suspicions. She was curious as to why a sixteen year old high school girl was paying bills. She guessed that the teen was living alone, but what kind of parent would allow their sixteen year old daughter to live alone? She never asked, though, because it simply wasn't her business.

"You're sure in a good mood today," she pointed out with a smile.

Casey grinned as she grabbed her change of clothes and headed for the bathroom. "Yeah. I…I had a r-really good d-day today."

Penelope returned the smile. "Glad to hear it, dear. Now hurry up and change; I need to get off my feet for a while." The girl nodded and hurried into the bathroom, changed quickly, and returned to relieve her boss of her duties.

* * *

As she walked home that night, Casey thought about the three girls who had spoken to her earlier that day. She wondered what their intentions were, because they were never nice to anyone without an ulterior motive, but decided that she really didn't care. People had _talked_ to her today. Not just _any_ people either; the head cheerleader and her underlings had talked to her. The three most popular girls in the school had talked to _her _and were nice to _her_ and wanted to sing with _her_. She just couldn't seem to wrap her head around it.

She strolled up her walkway and fumbled in her pocket for her keys before jamming her house key into the lock and turning it, twisting the knob and pushing open the door. She was humming softly to herself as she dropped her keys on the counter.

"Where the fuck have you been? And why the fuck are you humming?" the angry, booming voice broke her out of her happy reverie and brought her crashing back into reality.

Life was _not_ good. She _shouldn't_ be happy. So what if three cheerleaders had talked to her today? At the end of the day, she would still be the daughter of the town drunk. She would still be beaten and raped by her father nightly. Nothing could possibly change that. She had nothing to be happy about, and she was a fool for thinking otherwise.

Her father swayed before her, clearly demanding an answer. "I-I was working d-daddy. A-and I h-had a g-good day, that's all." She shuffled nervously, hands clasping and unclasping in front of her.

"Yeah, well, you should've gotten here earlier you dumb bitch!" the man shouted angrily. He then slammed his large right hand against her left cheek, forcing her head to snap to the left and her hand to come up to clutch her wounded face.

Casey choked back a sob. "I-I'm s-s-sorry, d-daddy. I-I d-didn't-"

He growled at her and grabbed her arm roughly. "Stop stuttering, you fucking retard! Jesus fucking Christ!" The girl looked at him in fear and he smiled creepily at her. "Now come on, I'm horny as fuck." Her father jerked her arm painfully as he dragged her into his bedroom and threw her on the bed.

He removed his shirt and then set to work on the button of his jeans. As his pants and boxers pooled around his ankles, he kicked them off and glared at his daughter. "Take off your clothes, whore."

Casey nodded shakily as the tears streamed down her face and started to remove her clothing, wondering if she would ever be rescued from the hell she was living.

* * *

She woke up in the morning with a heavy body on top of her and an aching body. She was fairly certain that her father had covered every inch of her body in bruises in his rage the night before, and she wasn't sure how she would be able to cover them up.

Squeezing out from under her father's sleeping form, Casey stood and stretched, checking the time. Seeing that the clock read 6 AM, she decided to take a long, hot shower in hopes of relieving some of the pain in her body.

She looked at herself in the mirror as she entered the bathroom and gasped. "Fuck!" she whisper-yelled as she gingerly touched her swollen cheek. _How am I going to hide this?_

Hot tears raced down her cheeks and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing them to stop. Resolving to deal with her bruises after showering, she turned on the water full blast and stepped in without letting it warm up. The freezing cold water was a shock to her system, but it rapidly warmed until it was scalding hot. But her body quickly numbed to the sting of the water, and, after washing vigorously, she stayed under the stream until it was freezing once again before turning it off and stepping out. She grabbed a towel and proceeded to delicately dry herself off.

After she had put on some clothes, she grabbed the cover up that had once been her mothers and returned to the bathroom to try and make the angry purple mark on her face disappear. She kept at it for 10 minutes before realizing that it wasn't going to work, and she cried again. The swelling wouldn't go down and the bruise was too dark for _any_ make up to cover. So she wiped it off and thanked whatever higher power was out there that the rest of her bruises were in areas that could be covered with her clothing as she grabbed her bag and a baseball cap and headed for school.

* * *

Casey kept the brim of her hat low and her head down as she walked through the empty halls of McKinley towards the choir room. She was so busy thinking about what excuses she could use for her swollen cheek that she didn't notice Quinn walking her direction until the two girls collided and fell to the ground with a thud.

The taller of the two's eyes widened and she scrambled to get off of the blonde.

"Q-Quinn! O-oh my gosh, I-I'm so s-sorry! A-are you o-okay?" she was flitting about nervously, picking up all of Quinn's things and offering them to the other girl, who was slowly getting to her feet.

Taking her stuff from the other girl, Quinn gave her a comforting smile. "It's okay, Casey. I'm fine. I was just coming to find you." Casey glanced at the cheerleader with a ghost of a smile crossing her features. Quinn frowned. "Are you alright? Oh my God, what happened to your face?" her comforting smile morphed into a look of concern as she inspected the taller girl's cheek. She reached her hand out to touch it, but Casey flinched violently and she pulled away. Her worry only deepened.

"I-I'm _fine_, Quinn. I-I just…I-I got in a f-fight last night. Th-that's all. D-don't worry about it." She forced a smile and changed the subject. "And about the s-song. W-we could just t-take turns on the v-verses and s-sing the ch-chorus together. O-okay?"

The concern didn't leave Quinn's face, but she nodded nonetheless. "That sounds good. Let's go in then. They're all waiting for you."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Sorry it took me so long to update! I've been busy with school and dentist appointments and such and I just haven't had the time or energy to write lately. Please, please review. Not that your favorites and story alerts and author alerts/favorites aren't appreciated, but I'm like Tinkerbell. I need applause(reviews) to live. (Brownie points for the Rachel quote!) Song is Concrete Angel by Martina McBride, just in case you didn't remember from a couple chapters ago.

**Bold is Casey**, _italics is Quinn_, and _**bold italics is both.**_

* * *

Quinn knew the moment she saw the dark purple contusion marring her new friend's face that her home life wasn't so great. She had experienced physical and verbal abuse first hand from her father, so she knew the signs all too well. She wondered how long it'd been going on, how bad it was, if she'd told anyone, if anyone had noticed, and if they had, why they hadn't _done _something. Tons of questions bounced around in her head as she watched the broken girl before her, worry etched on her face.

Unfortunately, she didn't know Casey well enough to get her to spill the beans, so she let it go for now and decided to get closer to the taller girl so she could ask about it. Quinn beckoned Casey into the choir room, the girl following her so closely that she could feel hot breath on her neck. Casey was sad to see that Mr. Schue hadn't arrived yet, and grew fearful when the Glee clubbers all jerked their heads toward the pair and stared curiously at her. The large bruise didn't go unnoticed by any of them, but it was Puck who spoke up.

"What happened to your face, new kid?"

Casey winced obviously and opened her mouth to relay her excuse, but it was Quinn who spoke up.

"She got in a fight yesterday. Some douche tried to attack her in the parking lot at the mall. She kicked his ass." She faked a proud grin at them all and glanced at the girl behind her, who was giving her an appreciative smile.

Puck grinned at Casey. "Mad respect, new girl."

"C-Casey. My…My n-name is C-Casey." Said girl replied timidly. He nodded in acknowledgment.

Tina frowned. "Is your stutter real?" at the death glares from both Quinn and Santana, she hastily rephrased her question. "I-I mean, when I started Glee club I had a fake stutter so I wouldn't have to do reports in front of my classes. I was just wondering if you do the same."

Casey shook her head. "N-no it's n-not." She paused to think for a moment. "Well, i-it is, k-kind of. I-I mean, it's m-more of a…n-nervous h-habit. I d-don't d-do to well t-talking to p-people a-and I g-get nervous, s-so I st-st-stutter." Tina nods, accepting her answer.

Santana looks over at the Quinn and the girl hiding behind her shoulder and her features soften. Judging by the look in her frienemy's eyes, she knows something about the girl behind her. And she can see by the way the head Cheerio is standing protectively in front of the girl that it's big. Casey is obviously frightened out of her mind, so Santana decides to cut her some slack.

"Alright guys, if you want to keep your limbs intact I suggest you leave Casey alone." To enforce her threat, she sent horrifying glares their way. Every one of them reluctantly turned to their groups of friends to chat, stealing glances at the new girl every so often.

Quinn led Casey to the two seats beside Santana and Brittany, offering her the seat next to her blonde friend. Casey looked hesitant, but gave in quickly and sat down. She sought out the eyes of the brunette Cheerio on the other side of Brittany, muttering a 'thanks' to her, before bringing her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on them with a sigh.

Brittany moved to hug the girl next to her because she _hated_ seeing people sad, but Quinn shook her head and she retracted her arms dejectedly. Santana rubbed her somewhat-girlfriend's back soothingly and mouthed 'We need to talk' at Quinn, who simply nodded in return.

* * *

Mr. Schue finally entered the room, mumbling about Carl and how stupid he was, causing the entire club to collectively roll their eyes at him. He looked up with a bright smile and searched the faces in the room for his favorite student, but when he didn't see her, he frowned.

"Where's Casey?"

Said girl raised her head, careful not to let the mark on her face show, and said, "R-right here, Mr. Schue."

The happy smile returned to his face as he welcomed her to the club. "Don't you and Quinn have something to sing for us today?"

Casey nods apprehensively and looks to Quinn for reassurance. The blonde smiles at her and stands, motioning for her new friend to follow her to the middle of the floor. The taller girl shyly trails her and stands next to her, anxiety clearly showing in her expression and body movements. She tries to tell them the name of the song, but her mouth just opens and closes several times.

Quinn finally speaks up to save the poor girl from floundering any more. "Alright, we're gonna sing Concrete Angel by Martina McBride. It's her" she jabs her thumb in the other girl's direction "favorite song, right Casey?" Casey nods with a half smile on her face.

Quinn nods to Brad who begins playing. She sings the first verse so that Casey can build up her confidence, which earns her a grateful smile from the girl.

_She walks to school with the lunch she packed  
Nobody knows what she's holding back  
Wearing the same dress she wore yesterday  
She hides the bruises with the linen and lace, oh_

Casey swallows hard and then sings her verse, softly at first but building in power as her confidence grows.

**The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask  
It's hard to see the pain behind the mask  
Bearing the burden of a secret storm  
Sometimes she wishes she was never born**

Quinn smiles at her friend. A huge, proud smile. Mr. Schue, Santana, and Brittany have matching smiles on their face, but Santana tries to hide it by morphing it into a smirk. The rest of the club looks awestruck. Casey doesn't notice any of them. She's lost in her own world.

_**Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone  
In a world that she can't rise above  
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place  
Where she's loved **_

_**Concrete angel**_

Quinn's hand reaches out for Casey's, and she's surprised when the other girl takes it. Interlacing their fingers together and reveling in the contact from the usually skittish girl, she sings again.

_Somebody cries in the middle of the night_  
**The neighbors hear but they turn out the light**  
_A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate_  
**When morning comes it will be too late**

Casey sees her little brother. She sees him standing next to her and reaching his hand out to her. She takes it and he links his fingers with hers. They both share broad smiles. And then she starts to cry. She hasn't seen her brother in _years_. She misses him more than anything and she _knows_ that this version of him isn't real. She can only hope that their mother is treating him better than their father treats her. She finally looks up from the ground, from her brother's hand, and looks straight ahead. Mr. Schue gasps at the bruise on his favorite student's face.

_**Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone  
In a world that she can't rise above  
But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place  
Where she's loved **_

_**Concrete angel**_

Mr. Schue is livid. He has a _very_ good idea where the bruise came from and it takes every bit of self-control in his body to stop him from storming out of the room, driving to the girl's house (he knows the address from school records), and kicking her father or mother's ass. Whoever is beating her. When he sees the tears on her face, though, his anger melts away and all he wants to do is hug the girl. The majority of the club seems to want to do the same.

_A statue stands in a shaded place  
_**An angel girl with an upturned face**  
_A_ _name is written on a polished rock_  
**A broken heart that the world forgot**

Casey's voice cracks on forgot because she knows she's well on her way to meeting this very same fate. She's going to be this girl one day. Dead at the hands of her violent, cruel, drunk of a father. She'll be buried and forgotten, just like the girl in the song.

**Through the wind** _**and the rain**_ **she stands hard as a stone**  
_In a world that she can't rise above_  
**But her dreams give her wings **_and she flies to a place  
__**Where she's loved**_

_**Concrete angel**_

And then the taller girl dropped to her knees, sobbing. Quinn looked momentarily stunned before dropping to her knees beside the girl and hesitantly wrapping her arms around her. Casey didn't care to shrug her off. She was too absorbed in her emotions, and she had to admit that it felt nice to be held for once. Brittany and Santana rushed over to the pair and knelt beside them, shocking everyone. Santana and Quinn normally didn't care for anyone but themselves and Brittany. Mr. Schue started to approach the girls, but decided against it.

"Why…Why don't you four go out in the hallway, okay?" he suggested softly while brushing his hands through his hair. The rest of the club remained silent.

Quinn nodded and helped Casey up, and the four of them left the room.

"Alright guys, your assignment this week is to pair up and sing ballads. I'll let you choose your partners and you'll all perform next Friday. Okay?" No one responded, and Will gave Rachel a pleading look. She nodded minutely and spoke.

"I pick Finn as my partner. We will destroy the rest of you with our unmatchable talent." She stated smugly.

That broke the silence.

"Oh _hell_ naw, Kurt and I will _own_ you." Mercedes challenged. Kurt nodded and glared at their self-proclaimed star.

"Yeah, Mike and I will definitely win. Our Asian fusion will prevail, right Mike?" Mike nodded at his girlfriend with a smile and pecked her lips.

"Whatever. Me and Artie will kick all of your asses. We got the sexy _and_ we're badass." Puck and Artie high fived with matching smirks on their faces.

"Quinn and I-"

"Uh, sorry Sam but I think I'm going to have Quinn pair up with Casey." Mr. Schue interrupted apologetically.

Sam looked slightly confused. "But you said-"

Will sighed. "I know what I said, but Casey seems to be comfortable with Quinn and I don't want to push her into anything she's not comfortable with. You can sing with me."

"But-" Sam tried in exasperation. Quinn was the only girl in here that didn't scare him (too much), and everyone else was taken.

Mr. Schue glared at the blonde boy and the protest died on his lips. "Sam, remember when Rachel and Finn purposefully threw the duet competition earlier this week to make you feel comfortable?" the boy nodded meekly. "Well Casey is only comfortable with Quinn right now, and we want her to be comfortable however she can be. So she _will_ be paired up with Quinn and you will _not_ complain. Got it?" Sam nods again and a smile finds its way back onto the Spanish teacher's face. "Good. Now why don't you all get together with your partners and work on your songs, okay?"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Sorry it took me so long. Writer's block. I'm sure you all know the , thanks for your reviews, I really appreciate them!

* * *

Quinn steered the sobbing girl into the hallway and into the nearby girl's bathroom, her fellow cheerleaders following close behind. Santana locked the door behind them to ensure that there would be no intruders before turning to the three other occupants of the room.

Quinn and Casey were sitting on the floor, with Brittany sitting in front of them. Quinn had her arms around Casey and Brittany had her hands on the girl's knees. Both were shushing her and telling her that everything was okay in order to calm her down. She smiled at the scene before moving to join them.

Santana crouched beside the normally shy girl, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Care to tell us what really happened to your face, hun?" she asked gently. Casey stiffened noticeably and they all froze.

She tilted her head up to face the Latina. "I-I got in a f-fight." None of them were convinced, however, and her eyes grew wide and pleading. Begging them to believe her. "I-I d-did. I s-swear."

Santana gazed into swirling hazel-green eyes and saw the need in them. She sighed, deciding to let it go for fear of scaring the other girl into permanent silence, and stood. "Come on. We're ditching this place." She wiped her hands on her Cheerio skirt before offering one to Brittany and the other to Casey. The former accepted the hand immediately, but the other was wary.

"I-I can't sk-skip school. I-I'll get in tr-trouble." was her excuse.

The Latina rolled her eyes. "It's fine. You're with us, Figgins won't say anything."

The sandy-haired girl looked down and mumbled, "I-it's n-not Figgins I'm w-worried about." Quinn's eyes widened a little as she tightened her grip on the girl and looked to Santana helplessly, only to find that she wore a similar expression.

Brittany saved them all. "Look, I'll go talk to Mr. Schue and tell him to cover for you because you're still sad and you want to leave but you're scared of getting in trouble. Okay?" Casey turned her head up enough to look at the blue-eyed girl and smiled at her. As soon as she nodded her head, the blonde was out the door, calling, "I'll be right back!"

The three remaining in the bathroom chuckled. Casey's gaze shifted to her shoes, and she started picking at the frayed edge of her shoelace. "Th-thanks, you g-guys. Y-You don't kn-know how m-much i-it m-means to m-me that y-you're be-being so n-nice to m-me."

The two cheerleaders smile at her. "Yeah, well, you're not so bad. And we still expect you to tell us where that bruise came from." Casey opened her mouth to state her excuse but Quinn interrupted her. "Where it _really_ came from. Don't lie to us."

Tears well up in the taller girl's eyes as she frantically shakes her head. "I-I c-can't, Quinn! Y-you d-don't understand! He…He'll k-kill me if I t-tell you!" she cries.

Santana, in an uncharacteristically gentle tone, asks, "_Who_, Casey? Who'll kill you?"

But the girl doesn't respond vocally, she merely shakes her head violently. Brittany comes bounding back into the room, and the noise from the door hitting the wall makes Casey nearly jump out of her skin. The blue-eyed girl smiles apologetically and presents her hand to her newest companion, informing the trio that Mr. Schue was going to cover for them and that they should go to Santana's house since her parents are never home. Santana winces at this, but Casey pretends not to notice and instead wraps her arm around the girl's shoulders, mumbling about how she needs someone to lean on because she doesn't feel very well.

* * *

The four arrive at the Latina's house in record time thanks to Santana's less-than-admirable driving skills. She motions for the others to go up to her room while she grabs four bottles of water out of the fridge and then makes her way upstairs.

When she opens her bedroom door she sees her three friends sitting on her bed and talking quietly. She approaches the bed and distributes the bottles among the trio before joining them.

"Why does he hit you?" she asks. She's never been one for beating around the bush. Her two blonde friends glare at her and Casey's body goes rigid. Seeing this, she reaches out to the girl. "Come on, Case; don't shut us out. We just want to help. Honest."

Unfortunately, her kind words are met with an icy glare as the short-haired girl goes on the defensive. "There _is_ no _he_. _No one_ is hitting me. I got in a fight, God damn it!" she slams her now clenched fists into her knees. "And furthermore, why the hell do you care? None of you have ever shown any form of kindness to anyone, not even to the Glee clubbers who all constantly stand up for you and help you and accept you for who you are, even though you don't really deserve it. Why me? And why now? Why are you _just now_ noticing me" she gestures to the bruise on her face "and these? I have been coming to school _every fucking day_ with bruises like this since _kindergarten_ and _no one_ ever said a fucking _word_. And now all of a sudden _you three_ decide to care? Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't buy it." She glares angrily at the cheerleaders surrounding her, all of whom are wearing matching looks of surprise and sadness.

"So…It's…It's _true,_ then?" Casey snaps her head in Quinn's direction.

"What's true?" she questions crossly, narrowing her eyes at the blonde beauty.

Quinn gulps and looks down, unable to keep eye contact with the irate girl. "That you're being abused."

The taller girl's eyes widen noticeably and she scrambles for an explanation to what she said. _They _can't_ know, they just _can't. "N-no, that's n-not what I-what I m-meant-" Brittany cuts her off.

"Yes it is. When you're mad you say things that you don't want people to know. I remember one time I was really mad at Artie and I told him that San and I have sexytimes all the time and that she was better in bed than he was. I mean, he just _lays_ there. But S moves all over and kisses me _everywhere_, and-" the rest of whatever undoubtedly embarrassing story she was going to tell was muffled by a mortified Latina's hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God, B! How many times do I have to tell you that that shit is _private_?" she whisper-yells furiously. Casey and Quinn try to stifle their laughter but fail and burst into fits of giggles. Santana glares daggers at the two of them but it isn't as effective as she hoed it would be. "Shut up, you guys!" This only makes the two girls laugh harder, clutching their stomachs and nearly crying from mirth.

But the brunette manages to effectively cease all traces of laughter when she lightly slaps Casey on the arm.

At first, she honestly thought nothing of it. She slaps Quinn and Puck and everyone else all the time when they make fun of her. It's a friend thing. She had forgotten that this girl was probably being abused. She had forgotten and made a _huge_ mistake. Seeing those once glee-filled eyes staring up at her in fear and the hands once clutching her stomach move up to defend herself from another blow, Santana feels guilt crash down on her.

"Oh my God, Casey, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-I didn't think about it or I wouldn't have-I'm _so_ sorry, _please_ don't be scared. I'm so sorry." She fumbles her apology, tears welling up in her eyes. This was definitely _not_ the kind of fear she enjoyed instilling in people.

Quinn carefully maneuvers her arms around the frightened girl in hopes of calming her down. At first, Casey fights the arms around her, but they refuse to let go. She stops struggling when she realizes that these arms around her feel safe, a stark contrast to the dread and agitation that comes with having her father's large arms around her small body. She nestles into the body of the blonde girl beside her, relishing in the feel of safety. It isn't a feeling she has often.

Santana is still apologizing profusely, and after listening to the Latina's incessant pleas for forgiveness for a solid five minutes, Casey turns her head and says that she is forgiven.

The brunette blinks owlishly. "J-just like that?"

"J-just like th-that."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I have the attention span of a freaking goldfish, I swear. That's my only excuse for not getting this up sooner. I sincerely apologize and I swear on my collection of Glee CDs that I'll try and update faster from now on.

* * *

"So is it true? What you said earlier?"

The four girls had been laying on Santana's bed for the better part of an hour staring up at the ceiling. Up until now, no one had made a sound. Casey stiffens in Quinn's arms as soon as the question leaves Brittany's lips.

The head cheerleader squeezes the tense girl's shoulders reassuringly and whispers, "You can tell us, Case. We just want to help you."

The girl nestles even further into the blonde's arms as she exhales slowly. She appears to be contemplating whether or not she should let them in, but eventually decides she's got nothing to lose and goes for it.

"P-promise not to t-tell anyone?" she requests after a few seconds. The three Cheerios agree to keep the information to themselves. The girl studies each of their faces intently, trying to decide if they're telling the truth, and finally takes a deep breath before beginning her explanation. "My p-parents have abused me since I can remember. My-my first memory is of my d-dad beating the c-crap outta me because I c-couldn't get my b-baby b-brother to stop c-crying. I-I was four then. Wh-when my-my mom left when I was eight, everything got s-so much worse. She t-took my b-brother, Andrew, with her, s-so I had _no one_. A-and my dad started…He started…" she pauses and a small sob escapes her. "He-he st-started raping m-me."

The three other girls collectively gasp. Santana and Brittany reach their hands out toward Casey, in an attempt to offer some comfort, and Quinn pulls the girl impossibly closer to her.

"A-all the t-time. He-he does it _all the t-time_. Y-you have n-no _idea_ how disgusting it f-feels, your f-father having s-sex with you. He-he f-forces himself on me every night and his-his breath _reeks_ of booze and it's just…" she breaks off into overwhelming sobs. Quinn, Brittany, and Santana feel tears welling up in their eyes as well, hearts breaking for the mess of a girl in front of them.

* * *

Some time later, the four girls are a sleeping mass of tangled limbs, faces splotchy and tear-streaked from crying.

That is, until Casey bolts upright looking panic-stricken.

Her quick movement jolts Quinn and Santana awake, and they immediately rest a hand on each of her arms to placate her.

"What's the matter?"

The girl flings her head from side to side, seeming to be looking for someone. When she doesn't see anyone other than the three Cheerios, she collapses back onto the bed with a heavy sigh, shaking violently and entirely pale. Quinn and Santana exchange worried glances before turning toward the short-haired girl now wrapped up in a sleeping Brittany's arms.

"Casey? Are you alright?" the blonde asks. Hazel-green eyes snap to meet her gaze and the fear swirling in their depths makes Quinn want to cry. "Hey, hey," she soothes, "it's okay. You're okay. We're right here, we won't let anything hurt you." The terrified demeanor of the girl slowly fades as she takes in these words. After a few agonizingly slow moments pass – in which both Quinn and Santana hold their breath (as if the action would help time pass more quickly) – she finally nods her head and relaxes into the sleeping blonde's embrace.

"I-I'm okay. I think. I-I had a n-nightmare." Casey informs the Cheerios.

"What about?" Santana asks curiously. She and Quinn both lie back down, Santana propping herself up on her elbow to see over her blonde girlfriend.

The tall girl heaves a heavy sigh and drags a hand from her forehead to her chin tiredly. "J-just…I-it was about my d-dad. N-need I say m-more?"

Quinn glances at her brunette counterpart, their eyes meeting for a fraction of a second before turning back to Casey. "Say no more. I get it." She smiles reassuringly at the girl. "But if you need anything, I'm here. _We're_ here. Don't hesitate to ask us for anything, okay?"

Santana grins and adds, "Yeah. We gots your back, aight? And if _anybody_, and I do mean _any_body, starts gettin' all up in your shit, I will shove my foot so far up their ass they'll taste my mothafuckin' Converse. And that's a _promise_." A certain darkness blankets her features momentarily, but she shakes it off and plasters a bright smile on her face once again.

Casey nods with a small smile and whispers, "Thanks guys."

The brunette's grin turns more genuine as she replies, "No problem, kiddo. You're my girl now, and us girls gotta stick together, right?" Quinn rolls her eyes. "Shut it, Not-So-Virgin Mary, or I'll smack that stupid look off your pretty little face," she threatens playfully.

"Yeah, yeah. You're really scary San," the blonde mocks, making a face at her. Casey giggles quietly.

Brittany finally stirs, groaning and tightening her grip on her short-haired friend. The girl flinches but quickly relaxes once again, and the blonde she is wrapped up in mumbles unintelligibly.

Casey smiles softly when blue eyes meet hers, and a sleepy grin spreads across the blonde's face.

"M-morning, sunshine."

Brittany's eyebrows furrow. "It's morning already? Did we miss school? I hope so. I don't like it there. But I like Glee. It's fun and I get to dance a lot," she rambles, her voice gravelly from sleep.

The three other girls chuckle at her before Santana gently explains that "morning, sunshine" is just something people say when someone wakes up, regardless of the time of day. It takes all of 2 minutes for Brittany to fully understand, but when she finally does, the proud, beaming smile she produces as a result makes all of them smile.

"This is why I love you, B. Even the smallest of accomplishments can make you happy," Quinn says, ruffling her fellow blonde's hair affectionately. Brittany just giggles and swats her hand away.

A loud grumble sounds and echoes off the walls, and all four girls look at Santana's stomach, concerned.

"Y-you okay there, S-San?" Casey asks with a slightly disbelieving chuckle.

Santana looks up at the other three, eyes wide. "Holy _shit_, I'm hungry!" Her stomach growls again, and she scrambles off the bed and out the door, calling, "I'm eating _now_, if y'all are hungry you can join me!"

The three remaining girls glance at the door, and then to each other, eyebrows raised and entirely straight-faced. That is, until Quinn's lip finally quirks just a little at the corner. At that point, they all crack and break down in fits of loud, happy giggles.

Casey has never been happier.

* * *

**A/N #2: **Not my best work, but I had to get the confession in there. Sorry about the shortness and overall kind of terrible quality of this chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Okay, not as soon as I had hoped, but…Oh well! Here's another chapter for you, my loves! :D

* * *

She has to go home. _Now_. It's 3:00 and school's out now, so if she doesn't get home within the next 20 minutes (approximately the time it takes her to walk home from school) she'll be _so_ beyond fucked. No pun intended.

She really, _really_ doesn't want to leave these three, though. They're the only friends she's ever had and this is the safest and happiest she's ever felt in her life. She wasn't by any means ready to give that up.

But if she doesn't get home in time, whatever punishment she's in store for already just for _existing_ will be quadrupled. And if she didn't go home at all?

Well, he'd find her and kill her dead without a second thought. _Brutally_ kill her. With a plastic spoon or something so it'd hurt more. Probably bury her in the backyard, too. Then he'd move away and forget all about her, along with everyone else.

She's afraid to tell the three girls sharing the table with her that she has to go because she doesn't want them to be pissed at her. Although, if she had to choose, she'd rather _they_ be angry with her than her hellion of a father.

"G-guys?" she stutters uncertainly. Her stutter had pretty much disappeared once she got comfortable with the girls, because it was simply a nervous habit she had developed in her early years, but it appeared to have cropped up again. They all eye her curiously, with Santana uttering an intelligent "Huh?" and Casey starts to feel even more anxious. "I-I-I h-have to-to g-go n-now."

"_Go_? Go where?" Quinn asks, wincing as her voice cracks slightly toward the end.

"H-home. I-I n-need t-to g-go h-home. _N-Now_."

"But…But _why_?" questions Brittany in a sad, childlike manner.

Casey's heart breaks a little.

"My-My d-dad-"

"You're _not_ going home. I'm _not_ letting that bastard touch you again." Santana cuts her off with a fire in her eyes that was usually reserved for those who messed with her girlfriend.

Casey starts to panic. "S-San, you-you d-don't underst-stand! He-He'll _k-kill_ me if I d-don't c-come home!"

Quinn stares at the girl incredulously. "Are you _serious_ right now? Do you _really_ think we'd let you go back to that-that-that _hellspawn_ after what you told us earlier? Are you _out_ of your _damn mind_?"

The short-haired girl shakes her head vehemently, muttering things that the other three can't quite understand. Her eyes dart wildly around the room. She has the general appearance of a caged wild animal. Quinn, Brittany, and Santana watch her closely, wide eyed and concerned. Casey startles them by standing suddenly and knocking her chair backwards in the process. They all reach out to stop her but their fingers merely grasp air as the girl escapes the kitchen and heads for the front door. The Cheerios glance at each other for a moment and then rush after her.

"Casey! Casey, wait!" Quinn shouts. The girl flings the front door open and starts walking quickly down the street.

Santana growls as she starts jogging. "Casey, get your ass back here!" Instead of obeying the Latina, the fleeing girl merely runs faster, and although the Cheerio is certainly athletic enough to catch her easily, she seems to come to some sort of realization and slows to a stop, letting the taller girl go. "Fuck!" the brunette screams furiously as she bends over, resting her hands on her knees and panting lightly. She hears the two blondes come up behind her.

"What the fucking _hell_, S? Are you _insane_? Why'd you let her go?" Quinn roars, all sorts of accusations and rage aimed at the Latina.

"_Because_," the brunette answers, sounding exhausted, "If I hadn't let her go she'd fucking _hate_ us. Do you _want_ her to hate us, Q?" The blonde girl looks puzzled. Santana sighs in exasperation. "God, Q, you're such a moron sometimes! Do you _really_ think she'd be grateful to us for not letting her go home? Are you _really_ that stupid? She'd be _pissed_. Pissed and terrified. That hijo de puta has been controlling her since _birth_, she's not just gonna suddenly be like 'oh, I'm safe now. I don't have to worry about him anymore.' She's afraid that he'll find her and _fuck her shit up_. So if we kept her from leaving, she'd freak out and hate us all for doing that to her." Her voice softens. "It's better if we just make sure we're there when she needs us."

The shorter of the two blondes studies her friend for a few moments before releasing a slow, calming breath. She runs a hand through her hair and feels the sting of tears in her eyes. "Okay. Okay, you're right. And I knew that, I just…I just want to protect her, y'know?" Her voice breaks on the last word, and the other two girls wrap their arms tightly around her as she starts to cry.

The Latina smoothes her friend's hair back and murmurs, "Shh, Q. It's okay. It's gonna be okay," as she begins to feel the prickle of tears in her own eyes as well.

* * *

Warily entering the house, Casey glances at the clock and lets out a silent breath of relief. _It's 3:17. I made it._ Noticing the eerie silence, she inspects the house cautiously for signs of her father. Finding none, she feels her earlier happiness return. A shy smile spreads across her lips.

She hasn't been home alone since her mother left.

"What am I supposed to d-do?" she wonders aloud. She can't watch TV because he'll find out, she can't eat anything unless she has _his_ permission (and he would most certainly know if she ate something without asking), and she can't hang out outside or anything because if he gets home and sees her enjoying herself, he'll make _sure_ she knows that the only "_enjoyment_" she'll be getting is from him.

So what the hell _can_ she do?

A frustrated sigh escapes her and she tugs a hand through her short hair, deciding that the only safe thing for her to do is clean up after her slob of a father. So she grabs the three empty beer bottles closest to her and brings them into the kitchen to toss into the trash bin, takes a look at the disaster zone that is her house, and begins the tedious task of tidying up.

* * *

After hanging out for another hour and talking about Casey and how to deal with her, Santana and Brittany bring Quinn back to the school to pick up her car. The Cheerio captain refuses their offer to go out for dinner, stating that she's tired and yawning exaggeratedly to prove it. After promising to text one or both of them later, they leave for Breadstix and she leaves for home.

She cranks up the volume on her stereo as soon as she starts the car in a vain attempt to try and drown out her thoughts.

It doesn't work, of course.

_What if he hurts her tonight? _Or even worse;_ what if he _kills_ her tonight? What if she won't let us help her? Has she had bruises worse than the current one on her face? Why did her mom leave her with him? _

And most importantly; _why didn't I notice what was going on before now?_

Quinn knows it's not her fault, but that doesn't stop her from feeling guiltier than all hell. She feels like she should have known, given her father's abusive nature throughout her life. She should have seen the signs; she should have seen them because she'd exhibited all of them at one point or another in her life. And she can't help but feel awful for being so wrapped up in her own pain and depression that she didn't see a girl just like her hiding in plain sight.

The car comes to a stop in her driveway, seemingly on its own. The blonde girl stares blankly through the windshield for approximately two seconds before bursting into tears, gut-wrenching sobs wracking her small frame as she mourns the lost innocence of the sweetest person she'd ever known.

* * *

Santana fucking hates seeing her girlfriend cry. Hates it with a passion.

So when she slows to a stop at a red light, glances at the dancer, and sees tears flowing freely down her pretty face, it's safe to say she's pretty upset by it.

"Britt? Britt, baby, what's wrong?" she asks concernedly.

Blue eyes meet hers across the car and Santana can literally see Brittany's heart breaking behind those swirling colors. "San, I-" she tries, before breaking into a sob and covering her face with her hands. The Latina has _never_ seen her girl so upset. _Never._

"You what, baby?" she coos, hoping to find out what has the usually happy girl next to her so broken up all of a sudden.

A loud _honk!_ startles both of them and Santana flips the guy off and pulls off onto the side of the road.

Once the car is safely parked on the shoulder, she returns her attention to her blonde girlfriend. "C'mon, B. What's the matter?" The blonde looks up at her and she can feel tears welling up in her eyes now, too. She swallows them back and cups Brittany's cheek, whispering, "I hate seeing you so sad…"

The other girl leans into Santana's hand and takes a shuddery breath. "San…I don't want Casey to hurt anymore." She whimpers.

The Latina feels wetness pool in her eyes and spill over onto her cheeks, and normally she'd be pissed at herself for being so weak, but this time she really can't bring herself to care. "Oh, baby…" she chokes out as she leans over the console and wraps the sobbing girl on her arms. "She'll be okay. We're gonna take care of her, okay? I promise I won't let anyone hurt her ever again. Just please don't cry baby…"

Santana stays there, embracing Brittany and whispering reassurances in her ear, for God knows how long. When they finally part and head for home, appetites completely gone, the Latina makes a decision: she may not be the best at keeping promises, but this is one she refuses to break.

* * *

"Casey? Casey, where the fuck are you?"

She freezes.

Her day had been going _so_ well. Why did he have to show up and ruin it?

"I-in here, d-daddy." She calls.

He enters the kitchen and Casey can just _feel_ the anger rolling off him in waves. His eye is swollen, his lip is split and bleeding and there's blood on his shirt and knuckles as well. He probably just got back from the bar, and judging by his appearance, was recently in a fight. That never ends well for her. "Get over here, you little slut." She does as she is told, and quickly moves to stand in front of her father's hulking form. "Now get on your knees." She hesitates and peers up at him, begging him for mercy with her eyes, but all she gets is a hard slap to the face. "On your fucking knees! Are you _deaf_? Christ!" he bellows, and then he drops his large hand on top of her head and forces her down. "Good. Now suck my fucking dick." She swallows hard and feels hot tears roll down her cheeks, but unzips his pants and lets them fall to the ground nonetheless. Hooking her fingers in the waistband of his boxers, she feels a renewed hate for the man who fathered her and wishes not for the first time that she had never been conceived at all.

* * *

**A/N #2: **Some different POV's for ya there…I hope y'all are still reading and I'm truly sorry for not updating sooner. I feel really bad, but my inspiration kind of died for a while. It's back, though, so hopefully I can crank out a few more chapters before it goes away again. Reviews are much appreciated because I love hearing what you guys have to say about my writing, but all your favorite and alerts are also so wonderful! I smile every time I see one in my inbox! I honestly love you guys!


	9. Chapter 9

Casey didn't go to school the next day.

She'd never skipped school before, but after she left her house this morning, she ended up ambling in the opposite direction of McKinley and didn't stop herself until she arrived in Carmel, the neighboring town and home of McKinley's greatest rival.

She knew ditching could have serious consequences, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She was just too tired to deal with everything today. Too tired to deal with homework, too tired to deal with teachers, and too tired to deal with Mr. Schuester's sympathetic, soul-searching gaze. And she was also afraid of seeing Quinn, Brittany, and Santana again. She just couldn't deal with their rejection right now. And she _knew_ that they would reject her. Who wouldn't? Who would _willingly_ subject themselves to the constant pain, anger, and sadness involved in dealing with an abuse victim? And after everything that happened yesterday, everything she told them, they probably hated her. They were probably hoping they'd never have to see her again.

Carmel was nice, she noticed. Nice houses, nice cars, nice restaurants. And no one knew her there. No one knew her father, so she was safe from judgment (apart from the disapproving glares of adults knowing that she was not where she should be right now).

She was thankful for the pocketful of cash she had pulled from her secret stash this morning as a Subway came into view. Her stomach had been growling since yesterday (she wasn't allowed to eat last night or this morning) and just the thought of eating a delicious sandwich was enough to get her salivating.

So Casey entered the restaurant and ordered her sandwich (footlong because she was practically _dying_) and a medium coke and left to find a suitable place to eat.

She ended up across the street at the middle school steps. She looked around to find several students gathered in small groups throughout the staircase with little to no place for someone to sit alone. Her gaze finally landed on a tall, sandy-haired boy sitting by himself off to the side of the steps. He looked so lost and lonely and sad that she felt compelled to sit by him.

She nervously strolled up to him and asked, "C-can I sit here?"

He glanced up briefly at her and mumbled, "Sure, I guess."

Casey sat gingerly beside the boy and pulled out her sandwich. She looked over at him again and noted with a great deal of curiosity that he looked familiar.

She also noticed that he had no food.

"A-are you hungry?"

He glanced up at her questioningly. "I-" he paused, shook his head, and tried again. "I guess. Yeah. I mean, I usually just eat when I get home…" he trailed off.

She smiled shyly at him and offered the boy half of her sandwich.

"Really? A-are you sure?" he asked, flabbergasted.

She nodded and passed him the other half.

"Thank you." He murmured sincerely. A boyish grin lit up his face, and Casey just _knew_ that she'd seen that smile before. She just _couldn't _seem to shake the feeling that she knew this kid from somewhere.

Casey nodded again, and they ate their food in a comfortable silence.

As she finished, she asked, "So, wh-what's your name?"

He finished chewing and replied, "Andrew. Yours?"

"Huh. I have a b-brother named Andrew." Sadness briefly blankets her features before she shakes it off and speaks. "Casey. N-Nice to m-meet you Andrew." She stuck her hand out towards the boy and he grasped it with a smile.

"I have a sister named Casey. Weird." They both laughed and settled into a friendly silence once again.

For a moment, anyway.

All of a sudden, the two turned their heads to face each other slowly, eyes wide and studying each other intensely.

Casey's eyes filled with tears as she realized where she knew this boy from, and she could see his eyes misting over as well.

"A-Andy?"

* * *

"San, where is she? I haven't seen her all day! What if something bad happened to her? What if she's hurt and she can't get help? What if he took her away to live somewhere where we couldn't find her? What if he _killed_ her? What if-" Quinn's frantic rambling was cut off by Santana's hand over her mouth.

"Jesus, Q, shut the hell up! You're freaking B out!" she hissed. Quinn glanced to the right and saw poor Brittany on the verge of tears and felt a twinge of guilt. She shifted her gaze back to her brunette friend to see the same fear in her eyes as well. She nodded and the hand slipped from her face.

She sighed shakily. "I'm sorry, B. I'm sure she's fine. I'm just-after what she told us yesterday I-" she ran a trembling hand through her golden hair and tried to calm herself.

Brittany, on the other hand, completely exploded. She shoved her girlfriend roughly into the lockers behind her, completely taking her off guard. Quinn watched on in shock along with the rest of the student body.

"How can you worry about _me_ right now? She could be out there bleeding and broken and you're standing here worrying about _my_ feelings? What the fuck is _wrong_ with you? You promised you'd protect her! You _promised_, San!" the blonde girl screamed. Santana looked so hurt, Quinn just wanted to hold her. She could see that the Latina was teetering on the edge of a breakdown and she was glad when the bell rang so they could be in peace. The few people who didn't scatter right away were chased off by Quinn's menacing glare, and then they were alone.

"Britt, I-"

"_No_, San. No excuses. You _always_ make excuses for why you can't follow through on your promises. And it's one thing when it's promising to take me to Chuck E. Cheese and then bailing on me, but it's _totally_ different when someone's _life_ is on the line! Now we are _going_ to go find her and you are _not_ going to let her out of your sight again because this is _not_ a promise I will let you break. You got that?" Brittany demanded harshly. Quinn had _never_ seen her this angry before.

Santana nods jerkily and gulps, tears spilling onto her cheeks. She swipes at them furiously, but they continue to fall regardless.

The blue-eyed girl stared the brunette down for a few long, agonizingly slow moments before she finally realized what she'd done. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth, eyes focused on her crying girlfriend. "Oh my God, San, I'm so-"

The brunette cut her off by holding a hand up. "No, it's-it's fine. I deserved it." She stated, voice strained from the lump in her throat. She breathed deeply a few times in an effort to calm herself and rubbed her cheeks roughly with the hem of her shirt.

"San-" Brittany tried as she rested her hand on her girlfriend's arm.

Santana shook her off. "I _said_ it's _fine_, Brittany. Now let's fucking _go_." She growled lowly. She then took off toward the parking lot, not particularly caring whether or not the other two followed.

Brittany looked at Quinn then, and the shorter blonde could see the sheer pain that swirled in the depths of those expressive blue eyes. She wrapped the taller girl in a quick side-hug before they chased their brunette friend out the front door.

* * *

"Oh-Oh my God…I-Case, how did you-Where have you _been_, sissy?" Andrew stammered, looking absolutely bewildered.

Casey shook her head and swallowed thickly, the familiar nickname getting to her. "I-" The boy enveloped her in a tight embrace then, effectively cutting her off. She felt the tears that she'd been keeping at bay spring forth and stream down her cheeks as she buried her face in her younger brother's shoulder. She felt wetness on her neck and realized that Andrew was crying, too, so she pulled him impossibly closer.

The only parted when the bell rang, warning Andrew that lunch was over. Casey disentangled herself from her brother's arms and sniffled. "You-You better go, Andy. I-I don't want you to get in trouble."

The boy shook his head in the negative. "No. I haven't seen you since I was _four_, sissy. Do you _really_ think I'm gonna leave now? I _just_ found you! I-We have so much to talk about. I-" he paused and looked down. "I've missed you."

But Casey wasn't having it. "_No_, Andy. You _need_ to go to class. As much as I'd _love_ to sit here and talk to you, I can't. Not right now. But," she looked around for a moment before asking, "Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?" Andrew studied her skeptically for a while, disappointment and frustration clouding his features, but he eventually dug in his backpack and pulled out a notepad and pencil and shoved it into her waiting hands. She opened the notebook and flipped to a blank page, scrawling an address across the middle of the page before handing it and the pencil back to her now confused brother.

"What is this?"

She pointed to the address. "That's where I work. Come by anytime and we can talk. I usually work evenings, and my boss is super nice. She'll let me have a break to talk to you if I tell her who you are." She smiled lightly at him, but it quickly faded. "I-I know it's a couple miles away, but that's really the only free time I ever have. D-dad is-Well, let's just say he hasn't changed much." Andrew's eyes widened.

"Th-that's…That's fine. I'll come as soon as I can."

She beamed up at him. "R-Really?"

He grinned back. "Yeah. Totally."

"Alright. Cool. I can't wait." Casey stood and Andrew closed his notebook and crammed it and the writing tool into his backpack before standing as well. They stood facing each other for about a minute before she spoke again. "Listen, I know it's been a long time and I know this is gonna be hard for you. It'll be hard for me too. But I-I'm glad I found you. I-I've missed you _so_ much; you have absolutely _no_ idea." Her eyes clouded with tears again, but she blinked them away.

"I think I have a clue."

She chuckled a little bit. "I love you, Andrew. And I can't wait to see you again."

He smiled softly at her. "I can't wait either. I love you too, sissy," he said, pulling her close for a brief second. "I better go. I'll catch you later."

Casey smiled and waved. "Bye."

As the two parted, they each wore matching grins full of hope and excitement.

Life may not have been kind to the Hart siblings, but at least they weren't alone anymore.

* * *

**A/N: **Yay, Andrew is here! :D Review if you'd like (I know I would!)! :D


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Oh my god, I'm sooooo sorry this is so late! The past couple weeks have been unbelievably crazy because I graduated last week so I had a ton of family in town for that, and then my gramma's been in the hospital for a month and I've had to deal with that, and just a lot of shit has been going on. I'm really sorry! :(

* * *

The silence in the car was absolutely _deafening_ as Quinn, Brittany, and Santana searched for their lost friend.

The Latina was still livid from her previous argument with her girlfriend and therefore drove like a maniac (more so than usual, anyway).She was glaring out the windshield, flipping almost every driver, passenger, pedestrian, dog, and tree the bird, and muttering what Quinn was sure were profanities in Spanish.

Brittany, on the other hand, was seated in the backseat behind Quinn and shooting furtive glances at Santana while trying her best not to burst into tears. Her chin trembled frequently and she'd often had to close her eyes and count to ten while breathing deep and slow like Quinn taught her. To say she felt guilty was a massive understatement. She'd never blown up like that at _anyone_ and she hated that her amazing, protective, _perfect_ girlfriend had to be the first person to experience her wrath. When she wasn't stealing miserable glances at the driver, she was watching out the window for Casey.

Quinn was feeling entirely awkward. She was stuck in a small car with her two best friends after they'd just survived what was probably the worst fight they'd ever had and she felt like she shouldn't be there at all. That she should've let them duke it out and talk about it rather than making them come with her to find Casey. She could have done that on her own. Because, to be honest, she was pretty sure she was the only one looking for her right now anyway.

When the trio had searched all of Lima and still saw no sign of the other girl, they started to panic. Santana pulled into the 7-11 on the edge of town and parked in front of the door. She turned her frenzied gaze on Quinn. "Where the fuck is she?"

Taking a deep, calming (not really) breath, the blonde replied, "I don't know, San. Do you know where she lives?"

The Latina scoffed and rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. The incredulous "are you stupid?" look the other girl wore made Quinn want to punch her in the face, but she refrained. "Do I _look_ like a fucking _stalker_ to you, Q? Of _course_ I don't know where the fuck she lives! I swear to God you're the stupidest fucker I've ever met!"

Quinn snapped. She understood that her friend was upset, she really did, but she did _not_ have to take shit from her _ever_, whether she was pissy or not. She balled her fists in her lap and narrowed her eyes, glaring out the window at the flickering 7 in front of her. "You know what, San? I'm fucking _sick_ of your moodiness right now. It was just a fucking question, for Christ's sake! I didn't fucking do _anything_ to you so back the fuck off. I know you and B just got in the worst fight probably ever and you're upset, but you have _no fucking right_ to be a bitch to me because of that. And you may think that you're the most worried about Casey right now, but you're fucking not, okay? I-" her voice crackled as a tear she hadn't even known was there worked its way down her cheek. "I'm fucking _scared_, San. I'm scared and I need you guys and neither of you are helping right now." More tears gathered in her eyes and she let them fall, covering her face in her hands and allowing a muffled sob to escape.

Brittany and Santana surged toward their friend instantly. Guilt over their selfishness and fear for their missing friend reduced them to tears as well, and the three of them wound up holding each other and crying. These past few days had brought them closer than they had ever been, but had also cost them a bit of their sanity.

_Tap tap tap!_

"What the fu-"

* * *

Her first instinct when she saw Santana's car parked in front of the 7-11 was to get the hell out of there before she was seen. But as Casey got closer and noticed that there were not one, but three bodies in the car and they were locked in some sort of awkward group hug, her curiosity got the better of her and she crossed the parking lot to the car. Upon reaching the driver's side of her friend's car, she caught a glimpse of Brittany's face and furrowed her brow. _Why is she crying?_ Alarmed, she tapped on the window with her pointer finger.

A muffled "What the fu-" came from within the car as Santana swung her head angrily toward her window, but she stopped short upon realizing who the culprit was. Casey watched, puzzled and uncomfortable, as all three of her friends observed her carefully. Then, all at once, they sprung from the car and attacked her with hugs and questions.

"Where the fuck have you been?"

"Why didn't you come to school?"

What the hell is wrong with you?"

Quinn pushed Santana and Brittany away and wrapped her arms tightly around her friend, burying her face in the other girl's shirt. "Don't _ever_ do that to me again, Casey Hart. I was _so_ worried when I couldn't find you, I thought something happened or something, I was so scared...Please, _please_, don't ever scare me like that again," she sobbed.

Casey, unsure of what was going on but feeling the need to comfort her friend, held the girl close to her and whispered, "Shh, Quinn, it's ok-kay, I'm okay…I won't do it again, I promise, just _please_ stop crying."

Santana spoke up then. "We looked everywhere for you! Where the hell have you been, Casey?"

The taller girl shrugged. "I went to C-Carmel for the day. I-I didn't think I could handle b-being at school today." She paused and looked down, ashamed.

The Latina gave her a puzzled glare. "Why not?" The short-haired girl shrugged again and mumbled something unintelligible. "What?"

"I s-said, I was-I was afraid that after everything that happened yesterday you guys would hate me."

The raven-haired girl's expression softened. "Are you serious? If anything, all of that shit made us love you more. We just want to protect you, Case. Honest."

Brittany added, "Yeah! You're part of our family now! And San and Q are super protective of our little family. Right guys?"

Both Cheerios nodded, genuine smiles showing Casey that the statement rang true.

Casey returned their smiles with a watery one of her own, wondering how in the world she managed to worm her way into the three girls' inner circle when no one else had ever been allowed in before.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Oh, but you know who I found?"

Brittany frowned and asked, "Jesse St. James? I hope not. He's a jerk. He threw baby chickens at Rachel."

Casey furrowed her brow and shook her head. "N-no. But guys, I found-" she paused, taking a deep, shuddery breath. The other three girls watched her with rapt attention. "I found my little brother. I found Andrew."


End file.
